KIRKUS REVIEW

A
humorous debut novel about the surprising consequences of one man’s intense
distaste for olives.

Grak,
a moody, misunderstood member of a group of egalitarian nomads, suffers from a
“severe and unusual hatred of olives.” That, in turn, means he doesn’t like
Lago, the tribe’s cook, who adds the fruit to all the dishes he makes. To get
back at Lago, Grak utters a small and seemingly innocent lie. Yet that
spur-of-the-moment falsehood leads to other lies, and soon Lago is banished
after being falsely accused of poisoning the group’s food. Before long, Grak,
through a combination of cleverness and dumb luck, installs himself as the
group’s leader—a previously vacant and unnecessary position. He then proceeds
to manipulate his friends, seek vengeance on his perceived enemies and generally
turn what was once a happy, thriving tribe into a starving, dysfunctional group
ruled by a despot with a shaky grip on reality, as revealed in Grak’s
increasingly unhinged internal monologue. Story’s quirky novel commendably
shows how easily evil can take root and flourish. The setting may be
pre-modern, but Grak’s behavior is immediately recognizable as the wounded
posturing of the schoolyard bully. This thoroughly unlikable protagonist is
driven not by a thirst for power or riches but by his own inability to trust
others. Early on, he wonders: “What is
this deviousness? Was she a part of this? Did they plan it together…out of
their mutual resentment toward me?” Even when his tribe is at the brink of
ruin and he’s publicly executing those who dare to question him, Grak sees
himself as a victim. Friendly overtures are misread as insults, while offhand
remarks are evidence of sinister plots against him. Often, the results of these
misunderstandings are blackly comic. Grak’s downfall is inevitable (if a long
time coming), but what’s more troubling is that even though he eventually loses
power and sees the error of his ways, he has taught those around him how to use
fear and violence as tools of subjugation.

An
amusing, occasionally sobering look at how evil can spring from unexpected wells.

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